Relief Rides as not only a way of honoring and blessing veterans and thanking them for their service, but also to provide some tangible tools for reducing stress and mov- ing toward recovery and re-integration.” Right from the beginning, the trust each
rider put into the MRP team and the itiner- ary that lay ahead set the tone for a journey into genuine self-discovery. Five days of riding dual sport motorcycles along with the carefully crafted evening workshops proved to be the perfect prescription for those who had struggled to find a main- stream therapy that works. The women who registered for the ride
were all looking forward to the chance to ride motorcycles off-road—something most hadn’t ever done—and the opportu- nity to learn and practice basic off-road skills was going to be invaluable. As an avid supporter of basic skills coaching, I was more than happy to help. The approach I like to use when teaching
novice riders is to begin by deconstructing the intimidating reputation that riding big adventure bikes has, while stressing impor- tant safety issues and then encouraging the discovery of how to control these machines. The impressive riding skills I witnessed
from the outset were a testament to how well the group had listened. Coupled with
their eagerness to understand and their desire to master these new skills, we were ready to venture out and discover some of Utah’s dirt roads. As the week went on, each rider’s comfort level grew. The women also grew more comfortable each other, and evening workshops gave everyone
the
opportunity to develop personal coping skills useful to each of us, not only in our every-day lives, but in times of crisis as well. By the end of the week, the group had bonded beyond expectations. Describing her experience, Cindy told
me, “I've always considered myself a cruiser type of girl, relegating the dirt bikes to high- adrenalin youth who clearly didn't have a very strong survival gene. Then came the Motorcycle Relief Project, complete with BMW GS bikes. The whole experience of the first-ever, all-female veteran's MRP ride is too all-encompassing to write about here, but I have been thoroughly enlightened regarding dirt vs. road bikes. The GS is a beautiful marriage between road and dirt, solving challenges like carrying extra equip- ment on your bike to the dirt-friendly areas and eliminating the need to have two bikes. A huge relief was knowing that in the extremely likely event of dropping the bike (ahem, was that really twice?), I wouldn't be cursing about ruined paint or dented metal.
The array of female veterans was impres- sive, from tattooed biker grandmas to a Boston comedian to the millennial self- proclaimed cat-lady. Having been "just" a scooter rider, I was anxious about 1) killing myself, 2) embarrassing myself (kind of the same thing, don't you think?) and 3) irritat- ing everyone else by being a slow-poke beginner. Instead, I was cocooned by a sea of estrogen and guided by an experienced badass with a great accent. Those first rides were thrilling and terrifying (refer back to #1 & 2), and I was too scared to worry about #3. My world shifted, however, that first day I put that beautiful red 700 GS on dirt; it was like she and I were home. The world around me disappeared as I felt her bucking and shifting beneath me on the uneven ground, and I was thrilled as she responded to my shifting weight and leaning knee, akin to how a horse responds to its rider. Bex tells me this can be my ‘therapy,’ and I'm happy to agree. I think I've found my happy place.” Additional discussions focused on good
riding gear, motorcycles and accessories and left everyone seeing the benefits of rid- ing less-travelled dirt roads. Overcoming fears of riding grand, adventurous roads on big, adventurous motorbikes was just the beginning, and one participant bought a GS
I GUESS I SHOULD HAVE EXPECTED WOMEN WHO JOINED THE
MILITARY TO BE TOUGH, BUT THESE LADIES WERE AMAZING. THEY WERE FEARLESS WHEN IT CAME TO LEARNING HOW TO RIDE ON DIRT FOR THE FIRST TIME AND FEARLESS WITH SHARING STORIES ABOUT THEIR TRAUMA AND THEIR STRUGGLES.
February 2017 BMW OWNERS NEWS
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